With Or Without You
by Esmeia
Summary: A frustrated Jeanette unintentionally blows off Simon during a rehearsal. Regretting her actions, she tries to find a way to make amends. Simonette, short story.
1. Chapter 1

**With Or Without You**

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

_Author's Note: Wow, so sorry guys. Life is getting increasingly more busy for me, so I rarely have any time to do anything just for myself. I can't do art projects, but I do write when I get the time, so there a few stories that I've kept stored until now. I'll be uploading them a little at a time. So sorry! * hugs and lurve *_

_Also, is anyone know / is a good beta reader? Right now, I'm doing all of my proof-reading myself, so I'd greatly appreciate it if someone could go over my stories after I do. I'm still searching, but if anyone's open, please feel free to drop me a line!_

_Again, **requests for stories are open! **Check my profile to see what kinds of genres/franchises I'm familiar with, or simply ask. I'll be happy to try and write what you drop in, as long as it's reasonable._

_Anyway, all that blabbing aside, about the story. I usually see, if there's any conflict in the Simonette pairing, it's usually Simon's fault. It makes sense, but I wanted to write a short story where Jeanette is the one who causes the falling out, and has to apologize and make it up to Simon. Either way, I adore Simon x Jeanette, so that's always a plus. Simonette for the win!_

_Anyways, enjoy!_

_XOXOXOXOXOXO_

"Ah, now I hear it."

"Hear what?" she sighed, closing her eyes momentarily. She had been staring at the same sheet music for a whole two hours now, and all she wanted to do at this point was crumple it up and chuck it into the nearest trash bin.

"You're a little flat at this part, I'm afraid," he pointed out, walking over. He traced his finger along the part she apparently was having trouble with. Her violet eyes scanned over the notes.

"How am I flat?" Jeanette inquired. She sat back, resting her aching back on the mauve pillow on top of her bed.

"It indicates clearly that you're supposed to go up a note, and then ease back down, see?"

"And I did that!"

"I'm sorry, but you didn't," Simon said softly, but firmly.

Irritation began to become evident on the girl's usually calm, caring face. She mentally counted to ten, attempting to calm herself. Her father had often told her that counting to ten would prevent her from getting angry and upset. It hardly seemed to be working.

"_Okay._ Then how would _you_ go about singing it?" she said, admittedly a bit rudely. In the back of her mind, she knew that she had no good reason to get snappy, but she couldn't help herself. "Show me."

Simon, wisely, decided to ignore her bitter tone and took a step back. Taking a deep breath, he sung a brief score from the music sheet. To her annoyance, his rendition sounded exactly the same as hers, and she wasted no time in pointing this out to him.

Simon laughed. "It's a bit slight, but it's there. I had to sing a slightly higher note for a few seconds, but a trained ear will catch it."

"Obviously," she hissed, gritting her teeth.

"Do you want to take a break, Jeanette?" the taller chipmunk asked, rubbing the back of his head. "Let's go have some lunch or something. Then, maybe later we'll-"

"No!" she protested, shaking her head. "I want to get this right! I have to."

It had all started with the Chipettes' latest concert, in Washington D.C. They were on a nation-wide tour arranged by Dave, who wanted to get the girls some well-deserved attention and build up their status to equal that of their male counterparts. The concert had gone well, with Jeanette and her sisters singing their hit original song, _Diamond Dolls_, which seemed to be a fan favorite the world over. That was, until a popular music critic (she had forgotten the woman's name, and at this point didn't care) said that the performance would have been better had Jeanette not brought down the band. How? The woman had said that her voice was too low compared to her sisters, and that she seemed to hit flat notes for the majority of the songs.

The feedback shouldn't have had much effect on her. Even Brittany and Eleanor had waved it off with little care, reassuring her that it was common for celebrities to be criticized even when there was little or nothing that needed fixing. But Jeanette just couldn't shake it off. The fact that the critic had alluded to the horrible possibility of her actually _hurting_ the band's chances had hurt.

A lot.

She couldn't, no, _wouldn't_, sit by and knowingly ruin the Chipettes' chances at stardom. Especially now, when it seemed they were so close of living their shared dream.

Jeanette's thoughts were interrupted by Simon's hand resting on her smaller one and giving it a gentle squeeze. She looked up at him, blushing slightly when he gave her a warm smile.

"I know what that woman said bothers you a bit," he said soothingly, rubbing her hand. He always seemed to know what was bothering her, whether she talked about it or not. "But there's really no need to get so worked up over it. We've all gotten criticism, and it's good to listen to it. But always take it with a grain of salt."

"That's easy for you to say, Simon," she said bitterly, looking down at her lap. "I bet no one ever said that you were a _burden_ to your brothers, and that you might be the reason they fail."

"Aw, come now, she didn't say all that," he chuckled, playfully rolling his blue eyes. "You're being a little dramatic."

"I am not!" she yelled, sitting up abruptly. Her tail bristled in anger and frustration, and her small hands were balling up into tight fists. "I don't want to be a burden! I don't want to ruin all of this! You don't understand what we've had to go through!"

"Jeanette..." Simon said, looking up at her in surprise. "I didn't mean it like -"

"You wouldn't, would you?" she continued, her voice rising. "You're just making light of the situation, and it's not helping! I just asked for a little help, and you're just thinking this is all just me being silly, right?"

He frowned, standing up to meet her. "That's not what I think at all!"

"Then why don't you try helping me instead of trying to change the subject? I'm not tired, I just want to get this right!"

"Look," he cut in, glaring down at her. "I offered to help out because I knew how upset you were. I had no idea you would get so tense over this."

"Maybe you're just not helping enough," Jeanette said, folding her arms.

Taken aback, all Simon could do was gape at her. Sure, he had known his girlfriend of three months to get emotional and have small bouts of depression, or insecurity. Heck, he knew he could be a bit of a downer at times himself. But they had always done their best to support and comfort one another at times like this, with a great amount of patience. But he had never seen her so spiteful. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that his sweet, innocent little bookworm was actually trying to _wound_ him.

He wouldn't let this escalate. He had heard so many situations where couples would resort to yelling and insults, many times ending in a passive-aggressive break-up by the end of it. There was no way he was going to let them be another statistic to that.

"You know what?" he said, holding up his hands in surrender. "Fine. Maybe I should just leave."

"That's the best idea you've come up with all day," Jeanette said coldly, turning her back to him. "Maybe now I can focus on this."

Simon's cheeks flushed red with anger. Unable to bear anymore, he hopped off of her bed and made his way towards the door, keen on returning to his bedroom and distracting himself with a good book. He hoped that reading would calm his nerves. It usually did, after all.

"Good luck, then," he offered, standing in the doorway and glancing back. Somewhere inside him, he held out a small hope that she would realize how silly this argument was, apologize, and join him for the rest of the day. "If you need me, I'll be in my room."

"I won't," she said flatly, not bothering to look at him. "I can manage just as easily without you."

He visibly winced from the bite of her comment, his ears lying flat. Without another word, he left Jeanette's bedroom, closing the door with a soft click.

Now alone, Jeanette forced herself to focus on the task at hand.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

_Author's Note: I know Jeanette seemed awfully cold, but I just want to point out that I can honestly see her being easily frustrated when she becomes insecure. I don't see her doing something like this often at all, but I think if something really bothers her, she can sometimes lash out at her loved ones, even Simon. _

_Don't worry, this is not the end! At least two more chapters will be uploaded, and will be longer. Also, if you haven't noticed, they are CGI versions. (Love them!)_

_Reviews are appreciated, as always. If not, thanks for reading! More coming soon!_


	2. Chapter 2

**With Or Without You**

**Chapter 2**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

_Author's Note: Hey, told you I'd continue this one! Anyway, thanks so much for the lovely and helpful reviews! _

_It might have seemed a bit OOC for Jeanette, but hopefully it gets better as this progresses. Enjoy!_

_XOXOXOXOXOXO_

What started out as mounting stress and irritation for the young brunette had now elevated into outright rage. She just couldn't understand what she was doing wrong. Simon had sang the exact same score, and yet he said that there was a difference, however slight it was. Yet, here she was, alone in her room and playing the video cassette of a professional singer performing the music (one of her favorites, _When You Believe ) _and trying all the while to emulate her. As far as she could tell, there was no difference and she was, indeed, singing it correctly.

"He probably just got fed up with me asking him for help and lied to get out of it," she grumbled, turning off the cassette player. "I can't believe he'd actually do something like that!"

Tired, both physically and emotionally, she lied down on her soft bed. Her eyelids were heavy, hinting that she was more tired than she let on. At this point, she wouldn't object to a nice, long nap. The warmth of her blankets and the quiet atmosphere (a rare treat when you lived with your big sister and her boyfriend, who were known for their loud and competitive spats) were extremely tempting. The growing pain of an oncoming headache didn't make it any easier to resist sleep.

_No,_ she thought stubbornly. _I have to figure this out. I won't get any peace until I do._

The soft creaking of her bedroom door caught her attention. She opened an eye slowly, half-expecting to see Simon walking back in to apologize and assist her again. To her slight disappointment, it was only her two sisters returning from the movies.

"Hey guys," she greeted lazily, rubbing her eyes. "How was the movie?"

"It was great!" chimed her baby sister, Eleanor. Bouncy, as always, she scurried up the side of her bed and giggled when she landed on a teddy bear. "It's a shame you couldn't be there!Right, Britt?"

"Mm!" the eldest sister answered, flopping on top of her bright pink bed near the window. "It was really fun! Who knew a movie about two parrots chained together would be so entertaining?"

"_Party in Rio, Rio!_" Eleanor sang. The two of them giggled happily, leaving Jeanette completely clueless.

"Yeah, sounds like a good movie. Maybe next time," Jeanette said halfheartedly.

"Anyway," Brittany continued, untying her ponytail and letting her hair fall on her shoulders. "How was your day, Jeanette? Anything interesting?"

The question brought up the short, but heated fight she had had with Simon little more than an hour ago. She frowned, recalling how furious the both of them were, more so with her. She couldn't recall ever getting into such a heated conversation with him. They were, by no means, a perfect couple, but they could usually resolve their problems before they escalated. This time, however, she feared that maybe it had gone too far. In the back of her mind, she feared even more that she may have been at fault. But, surely, it wasn't all her fault. Obviously, he must have been wrong from the beginning, right?

"Britt, Ellie," she said, sitting up abruptly and beckoning the two girls to come closer. "Tell me what you think."

"Hm?" Brittany hummed curiously, walking over to her bedside.

"What's up?" Ellie asked, easily hopping over.

"Simon said that I didn't sing this right. I want you two to tell me if I really did or not," she said, pointing out the score in question on the sheet. "And be honest."

Brittany and Eleanor eyed the sheet, then looked to each other with knowing glances.

"Jean, this isn't about what that kooky lady said, right?" Brittany began slowly, glancing over at Jeanette.

"Yeah," Eleanor said uncomfortably. "It's really not that big o' deal. Didn't we go over this?"

"Just tell me," Jeanette insisted, losing her patience.

To her relief, the two of them begrudgingly accepted. Pressing the "play" button on the cassette player, she first let them hear how it was supposed to sound. Afterwards, she stopped the tape and sang her own rendition, no longer needing the sheet music as she had already memorized it.

Her two sisters applauded, impressed.

"Wow, that was great, Jeanette!" Eleanor praised.

"Beautiful as always," Brittany agreed. She then raised a slender brow, confused. "What's the problem again?"

"Simon told me that there was a difference, and that I sang it too low near the middle," Jeanette sighed. "Evidently, you two don't hear any difference either. I knew he was just trying to get out of helping me rehearse! Can you believe him?"

"Well, hold on," Eleanor said, looking over the notes again. "Do it over, and let us hear the tape again?"

"Okay," Jeanette nodded, doing the whole thing over again.

This time, instead of them having the same reaction as before, realization dawned on their faces. They then looked at each other with uncertain expressions, as if afraid of saying anything.

"What?" Jeanette said, looking between the two. "It's the same, right?"

"Well..." Eleanor said slowly, wincing. She glanced over at Brittany, who took over.

"It _was _different," Brittany said, rolling her eyes around as she tried to find the right words. "It was good, but you were a little off."

"What do you mean?" Jeanette pressed, dreading the answer.

"You _were_ a bit flat," Brittany admitted. "It didn't sound bad, because hers' was slightly higher. If you really listen, you'll hear it."

"But I don't _hear_ any difference!" Jeanette said frantically. "Simon said the exact same thing, what in the world am I missing?"

"Honey," Brittany said softly, coming over to her little sister. Placing a paw on her shoulder, she motioned for her to sit down. "It's only one little part in a song that we're likely never going to sing. And even if we _did,_ what would it matter if you didn't match every single note in it? We certainly don't, but we sell out each concert!"

"You don't get it," Jeanette sighed, resting her head in her hands.

"We do," Eleanor insisted, coming to sit in front of them. "You let that silly critic get to you. No one's perfect, Jean, absolutely no one. So don't even try, you'll just worry yourself out! Now, everything's okay, right? No harm done!"

"That's not it!" Jeanette snapped. "Because of my silly obsession with that comment of hers, I was completely... completely..." she could hardly admit to herself just how unfair and irrational she was to him. How could she ever tell her sisters about how shameful her behavior was? "I said so many hurtful things to him, all because I couldn't get over it."

Warm, wet tears began to trickle from her eyes and face and into her palms. The small drops splashed against the sheets beneath her, moments before soft sobs could be heard. Eleanor and Brittany silently rubbed the girl's back, soothing her with small phrases of "it'll be alright," and "I'm sure you didn't mean it."

After a few minutes of crying and consoling, Jeanette finally calmed down. Brittany went over to her bedside table to grab a tissue, tearing it in half and handing one of the pieces to her. Jeanette gratefully accepted it, drying her tear-stained face and blowing her nose.

"Now, don't you feel better?" Eleanor offered, retrieving the moist tissue. She made a face at it before carefully setting it aside. Jeanette, despite the situation, giggled at her sister's silly nature. "See, there! That's the Jeanette we know and love."

"She's right," Brittany said, sighing in relief. "I never did like seeing my baby sisters crying. Now you know to never let something someone says get to you like that. Especially some old hag," she finished bitterly.

"You're right," Jeanette sniffled, resting her hands and head on her knees. "But poor Simon. I must have hurt him, terribly. And all he was trying to do was help me out. Girls... what do I do?"

"Well, the first thing you should do is try and apologize," Eleanor said, nodding her head confidently. "If I do something wrong, like accidentally hurt Theo's feelings, I immediately apologize."

"But what if he doesn't forgive me?" Jeanette cut in, feeling more tears coming on. "What if he wants to break up?"

"Sweetie, this is your first major fight," Brittany laughed, shaking her head. "Take it from me, the girlfriend of the ever clueless Alvin Seville, and who has had many arguments. Heck, we'll probably fight about something new today!" she said, rolling her eyes. Despite her words, a warm, loving smile graced her face at the thought of her boyfriend. "If you really love the guy, and he returns it, it'll take a lot more than some little fight to break you two up."

"You really think so?" Jeanette whispered, glancing nervously at their bedroom door.

"We know so," Brittany said, giving her a small hug. "But you'd better do it quick."

"Yeah, you don't want him to stew in it!" Eleanor gasped, taking Jeanette's hand and tugging her off the bed. "You have to do it quick!"

"O-Okay!" Jeanette stuttered, gulping.

Pushed into the hallway, she looked down the hall. Just a few feet away was the door of the Chipmunks' bedroom. On the front of it were three sighs nailed, somewhat haphazardly, into the wood: "Alvin", "Simon" and "Theodore". Simon's, of course, was blue with mathematical symbols and hand-drawn illustrations of laboratory materials. She chuckled, shaking her head.

"That's Simon for you," she said softly, blushing at the thought of the boy she had fallen in love with, seemingly, in the moment their eyes first met at West Eastman High School He was everything she always wanted in a boyfriend: intelligent, sympathetic, understanding. He also had a way of keeping her grounded, reeling her in when she was in danger of getting lost in her own fears and insecurities.

Insecurities like worrying about a small critique by some nameless woman.

_And here I am, pushing him away over something like that._

Swallowing her fear, at least for the moment, she stomped towards his bedroom. She told herself that she didn't care if Alvin and Theodore were around to hear her spill her guts out to Simon. She didn't care if Alvin made any immature comments, or if Theodore gave her questioning or confused glances. She would apologize to Simon, her Simon, and beg him for his forgiveness.

Inches from the door, she took a deep breath. Steeling herself for the potentially embarrassing experience, she lifted her hand to knock.

"ALVIN! SIMON! THEODORE!"

Jeanette nearly shot out of her skin. Dave's loud, bellowing voice could clearly be heard from just downstairs.

"BRITTANY! JEANETTE! ELEANOR!" he continued. "TIME FOR DINNER!"

"Coming, Dave!" she heard a squeaky voice reply from inside the boys' room. Soon after, the door swung open and Theodore came bouncing out, happy at the prospect of supper. "Oh! Hi, Jeanette!"

"Um, hi Theodore," she greeted the chubby little boy, smiling politely.

"Excuse me," he said, walking by. "Better hurry, before it gets cold!"

"Hey, don't hog all of the macaroni and cheese this time, butterball!" Alvin called out, rushing past her and nearly knocking her over in the process. She scowled at the back of his head as he disappeared down the stairs.

Jeanette looked up in time to see Simon, now changed out of his usual blue sweater and into his sleep clothes, which consisted of a blue basketball shirt and sweat pants. She quickly gathered her wits, straightening up.

"Simon, I -"

He simply brushed past her, not even sparing her a glance. He calmly walked down the stairs, not a word spoken to her.

Stunned, Jeanette stood in front of the empty bedroom. She touched her shoulder, where it had briefly and lightly touched his own. She didn't know what she was expecting: obviously, she knew that he would be angry at her and wouldn't be willing to forgive her so quickly. But it had never crossed her mind that he wouldn't even acknowledge her in any way. Somehow, that hurt more than any angry words he could have said.

Eleanor and Brittany (who had been watching from beyond their bedroom door) walked over to her, giving each of her shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't worry, Jean," Eleanor said, patting her back. "He'll come around."

"Yeah," Brittany said, motioning for them to join the rest of the family downstairs. "He's just steamed. He'll cool off after a nice dinner, hm?"

"I hope you're right," Jeanette mumbled, discouraged. She followed Brittany and Eleanor downstairs and into the dining room, praying that the dinner would lighten the heavy mood.

Reluctantly joining the rest of the gang downstairs, she took her usual seat beside Simon. He was already digging into his meal, a generous serving of mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and green beans. Not so much as a glance was given to her, even when she tried to get his attention by clearing her throat.

Feeling helpless, she glanced at her sisters. Brittany and Alvin were busy talking about their upcoming concert, which was going to feature a duet between the two. Alvin must have paid her a compliment , because the auburn-colored Chipette giggled and blushed. Knowing that she wasn't going to get her attention, she looked towards the blonde girl instead. Eleanor was feeding Theodore a small portion of her famous stuffing, which she had never allowed him to taste until she was confident that it would please him. Theodore enjoyed it immensely, claiming that Eleanor was a better chef than even himself. Of course, Eleanor fell into a happy fit of giggles.

Jeanette groaned softly, lightly banging her head onto the table.

_I guess I have to do this for myself,_ she thought nervously.

"Um, so, Simon," she started awkwardly, poking at her green beans with the tip of her fork. "Er... read any good books lately?"

_Oh wow, good going Jeanette, _she inwardly berated herself. _You couldn't find a less typical conversation starter?_

"No," he answered bluntly, not looking up from his plate.

"Yeah, me neither," she continued, laughing nervously. "I wish there was something good out. Ever since Harry Potter ended it's been slim pickings!"

"Mm," he replied, looking as if he couldn't care less about the current conversation.

Panicking slightly, she racked her brain for what to say next. Maybe, if she could just get him alone, she could finally apologize and things could go back to normal.

"Simon, can I talk to you in private?" she asked shyly.

"What for?"

"I'd... I'd like to apologize," she whispered, glancing around. Luckily, no one seemed to be listening to their exchange.

"Oh?" he said, his left ear twitching in interest. "Then you can do it right here."

"I-" she gulped, glancing around the busy dining room. "I can't."

"Why?" he shot back.

"Because... well..." her voice trailed off as she motioned towards Dave and their siblings.

"Ah," he said, rubbing his chin. "That's a problem."

"I'm glad you understand -"

"But I'll be turning in after dinner," he cut in, taking a sip of water. "It's been a long and _stressful_ day, I'm sure you understand."

Jeanette bit her lip. "Simon, you're making this difficult."

"Excuse me?"

"I said you're making this harder than it has to be!" she hissed irritably. "Why don't you just accept my apology so we can move past this?"

"Because you didn't give me a real apology, that's why," he snapped. "You made it difficult earlier today, when all I was trying to do was ease your stress. So don't turn this around on me, because you are _not _the victim here."

Jeanette winced at his words. Not because of his angry tone, but because his words rang true.

"Simon, I just..." she mumbled, biting her lip.

"You just what?" he pressed, raising a brow.

"I just want to move past this," she said, voice trembling. "Can't we just forget about what happened?"

"No, Jeanette, we can't," he said flatly, setting down his napkin and sitting upright. "I'm not going to just let this slide. You know why?"

Jeanette shook her head, speechless.

"Because," Simon shifted to look directly into her eyes. She couldn't look away; his eyes were serious and demanded her undivided attention. "What if you throw a little tantrum like that again? What if you start thinking that you can just lash out at me like that, instead of simply sitting down and talking to me about what's hurting you? I'm not going to let you think that throwing around an empty apology will magically fix the problem."

Simon shook his head, standing up.

"No, I'm not going to let this go like that," he said firmly, but low enough so that only she could hear. "You'll have to prove to me that you'll try and handle something like this differently next time. I love you, but pushing me away when I only wanted to help won't do anything good for us. I want to be sure that this won't be a habit of yours. If it is, we might not be right for each other."

With that, he excused himself from the table and returned upstairs. Too devastated to eat, Jeanette excused herself as well. By the time she got to the top of the stairs, Simon was nowhere to be found. His door was firmly closed. She didn't have the courage to check if he had left it unlocked.

Running into her room, she quickly closed the door behind her and threw herself onto her bed. Unable to hold back the tears, she let them fall freely against her pillow. Her body trembled with the muffled sobs of her crying. No matter how much she tried, she just couldn't stop the flow.

_How could I have been so stupid? _Jeanette berated herself, hiccuping softly. _I ruined one of the best things that ever happened to me, all over my pride. What will I do if he doesn't want me anymore?_

At the thought of him leaving her, of even finding someone else to replace her, was too much for her to handle.

Later that evening, Brittany and Eleanor found Jeanette in a fitful sleep. They silently pulled the blankets over their sleeping sister, before turning off the lights and returning to their respective beds.

"Britt?" Eleanor whispered from her side of the room.

"Yeah?"

"What are we going to do?" Eleanor said, worry evident in her voice. "You don't think it'll end like that for her, do you?"

"I hope not, Ellie," Brittany sighed. "But we'll help her anyway we can. We'll think of something."

"I hope so, Britt," Eleanor said, shaking her head sadly. "I hope so."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

_Author's Note: Wow, Simon's pretty upset with her. Rightfully so, though, rightfully so. Let's hope Jeanette's sisters can think of something to help mend the divide between her and Simon!_

_Next one might be the last chapter! Thanks for the reviews/reading!_


	3. Chapter 3

**With Or Without You**

**Chapter 3**

**XOXOXOXOXO**

_Author's Note: This will be the final chapter. Thanks for all the very kind reviews and feedback, they're greatly appreciated. I'm still doing concepts for my longer stories, they're just taking some time. In the meantime, I'll try and upload short stories and oneshots to fill the time gap. _

_Enjoy!_

XOXOXOXOXO

He was definitely getting soft. Too soft, too fast. But he refused to be taken for granted, and he was determined to let Jeanette know this, even if he had to hurt her a bit in the process.

True, he was still angry. It was hard for him _not_ to be, with the way she callously brushed him off. But more importantly, his feeling were hurt, and he wasn't sure how she could make it up to him.

"Hey, Simon. Are you sick?"

He looked up from his homework to meet the emerald green eyes of his little brother, Theodore. He was looking over at him from his own assignment, showing deep concern for him.

Simon smiled reassuringly. "No, I'm fine. Do I look ill?"

"No," the younger chipmunk replied slowly, twitching his tail. "But you're drawing little doodles instead of doing the problems."

To his surprise, he was indeed drawing small, incomprehensible doodles. He realized that the current problem in his love life affected him more than he would have thought. He set down the pencil, sighing softly.

Theodore hopped over to him, resting a paw on his shoulder. "Si, what's wrong? That's not like you."

"Yeah," Alvin said, not looking away from the television screen. His worksheet lay forgotten hours ago, messily thrown to the side of his bed. "You're the only one who actually _enjoys _homework. You look forward to the stuff."

"I just have a lot of things on my mind," Simon said curtly. He didn't mean for it to come out that way, but Alvin had a way of grating on his nerves without even trying.

"Maybe you're still hungry?" Theodore supplied. "When I'm hungry I can't focus."

"But you're _always_ hungry," Alvin snickered.

Theodore ignored him, rolling his eyes. "I think that goes for everyone!"

"Nah, I'm not hungry," Simon chuckled, shifting to sit Indian-style. "It's just some... girl problems."

"You're a _boy_, Simon," Alvin said, turning his head to them and giving Simon a horrified look. "Why would you have _girl problems_?"

"Well -"

He gasped dramatically, crawling over to the two of them and gaping at him. "Are you hiding something from your brothers? Oh man, I never thought you were that kind of guy! Yeesh," he shivered, looking disgusted.

Simon stared at him blankly. Alvin then laughed awkwardly, nudging him in the shoulder.

"Hey, I'm just kidding."

"You have a sick sense of humor," Simon said, sneering at him.

Strategically coming between the two, Theodore gently pushed them a small distance apart. Simon and Alvin glared at each other before returning to their own tasks again. Theodore sighed in relief, turning back to Simon.

"Did something happen between you and Jeanette?" Theodore questioned, lying down on his stomach. "Was it a fight?"

"It was more of her yelling at me for some silly comment someone said," Simon said bitterly. "I barely got a word in edge-wise."

Theodore gave him a sympathetic look, patting his knee. "Oh, I'm sorry. Is that why you two left dinner so early?"

"Jeanette left too?" he asked. He hadn't realized that she had followed him upstairs. He felt a pang of guilt: what if she wanted to talk to him and he didn't notice her? What if she took that as him snubbing her? He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Well, that's why I left, anyway."

Theodore looked thoughtful, tapping his chin. "Did she say sorry?"

"Well, not really," Simon said slowly. "She did, but it wasn't what I was looking for."

"What do you mean?"

There was a pause. Simon wasn't sure how to put his feelings into words. Finally Simon said, "I wanted her to admit what she did wrong and to truly mean it. I didn't want some shallow apology and for her to think that the problem would magically disappear."

Theodore nodded slowly. "I understand. Did you tell her that?"

"I couldn't have been more clear," Simon said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's all up to her now."

"Wrong."

Simon and Theodore looked over at Alvin. He was smirking, shaking his head as though he had figured out something obvious, and they were the ones completely clueless.

"What are you talking about now?" Simon asked, steadily losing his patience with the older chipmunk.

"By a woman's logic," Alvin started, grinning. "They are _never_ wrong, and the man is _always_ at fault. No buts, no exceptions. Just apologize and get it over with, dude."

"Are you serious?" Simon spat, incredulous. "What for?"

"Girls are weird like that,"Alvin said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's just one of those basic laws of the world! Even if they started it and the fight was entirely their fault, they'll blame us no matter what! Just save yourself the time and trouble and give it up."

"That's not going to happen," Simon said adamantly, folding his arms. "I'm not at fault here, plain and simple. I'm not going to apologize for something I didn't do."

"He's right, Alvin," Theodore agreed. "No one should pressure him to do that."

Alvin rolled his eyes, picking up the remote and flipping through the channels. "Whatever. Don't say I never tried and do you any favors."

"Honestly, Alvin," Simon said, clicking his tongue. "Do you even follow that so-called rule? Are you saying that if you and Brittany had a fight, and it was really all her fault, that you would apologize?"

"Heck no!" Alvin laughed. "I would sit it out and wait until she caved in!"

"So why are you trying to make _me _follow it!" Simon said, throwing a pillow at the back of his head.

"Hey!" Alvin shouted, rubbing his head. "Remind me never to help you out again!"

Theodore giggled, returning to his assignment. Simon tried, again, to focus on his math homework but soon reverted back to doodling.

Theodore watched him for a few seconds before taking the pencil away from him. "Simon."

"Yes?" Simon replied.

"Try and cut her a little slack. I know you're mad, and you should be. But you don't want her to give up hope of you ever forgiving her, do you?"

"No," Simon admitted. "I don't want to break up with Jeanette."

"Then try and meet her halfway," Theodore suggested, twirling the pencil in his hands. "Show her that she has a shot at a second chance."

Simon was impressed: Theodore was surprisingly mature, even at such a young age. Simon had earned the reputation, from Dave and fans, of being the most level-headed and mature out of the Chipmunk brothers. He even believed it himself, as he was always the one to reel the other two in and help keep them out of too much trouble. Yet, even he was prone to indecision and uncertainty. When he needed support, Theodore always stepped up to the plate.

He reached out and affectionately rubbed the boy's head, smiling. "Thanks, Theo. When did you come to get to be so wise?"

Theodore blushed, grinning back. "I learned from the best."

XOXOXOXOXO

She was a nervous wreck. Her palms were sweating slightly, and her knees were trembling along with them. Simon was going to be returning from his Chemistry Club meeting in little more than an hour, and she wasn't sure if she could complete it in time.

A small hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts. She glanced down at Eleanor, who giggled at her reaction.

"Jean, calm down," Eleanor said, holding out a purple apron. "We're just making chocolate!"

"But I'm not so good at these kinds of things," Jeanette mumbled, reluctantly accepting the apron and tying it around her waist.

Brittany, who was pushing a large bowl across the tabletop, rolled her blue eyes. "You _always_ say that!"

"But it's true!" Jeanette replied sadly. Part of her hated that over-cautious nature that made her unwilling to try new things.

"You never even tried before," Brittany retorted, wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead. "How do you know if you don't try?"

Without a good rebuttal, Jeanette simply sighed. Eleanor opened her favorite cookbook, _Cooking with Paula_, and flipped to the appropriate recipe. She beckoned Brittany and Jeanette over and pointed to a colorful photo of pink, red, white and brown candy hearts, decorated with multicolored sprinkles.

"See? Fudge hearts!" Eleanor said excitedly. She rubbed her tummy, wearing a dreamy expression. "I made those for my Theodore last Valentines' Day. He loved them! Simon _has_ to forgive you if you make him some of these!"

"Oh, those do look good," Brittany said, licking her lips. "And they look easy to make, too."

"Well, alright..." Jeanette relented. She had to admit, they were cute. And more importantly, she knew Simon had a bit of a sweet tooth. Encouraged, she smiled. "Alright, let's give it all we've got!"

"That's the spirit," Eleanor giggled, scanning over the ingredients. "Alright, here's what we need: semi-sweet chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, salt, vanilla extract, fondant or icing, decorations, and food coloring."

Jeanette and Brittany obediently obtained all of the listed ingredients, setting them all neatly on one side of the table.

Eleanor rolled up her sleeves and rubbed her hands together.

"Alright, ladies, let's begin," she said, dragging a pan towards the middle of the table. She effortlessly sprayed the pan with cooking spray.

"What do we do now?" Jeanette asked, looking over the ingredients with great interest.

"It says we need to combine chocolate, milk and salt in a bowl. Then we microwave it, stirring occasionally," Brittany answered. "It's recommended to stir every forty-five seconds."

"Oh, okay, sounds simple enough," Jeanette said. She emptied a generous amount of chocolate chips into the large bowl, then attempted to pour in some milk. She didn't keep a good grip on the can, however, and spilled a large amount of it on the table. Slipping slightly on the mess, Jeanette whimpered in embarrassment.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

Brittany smiled and shook her head, tearing a few sheets of paper towel off of the roll and mopping up the excess milk. "Don't worry, I've got it."

"Here, let me help you with that," Eleanor said kindly, helping Jeanette lift the can and pour the required amount of milk into the bowl. Eleanor added a few shakes of salt into the mixture, with Jeanette slowly and carefully stirring it all together.

As Brittany finished cleaning up the spill, the three sisters carefully lifted the bowl over to the microwave to let it melt. Every so often, Eleanor would open the door to mix the chocolate and prevent it from overheating. After letting it cool some, they added the vanilla extract.

"Now, it says that we put this into the pan and smooth it out," Eleanor read out loud, licking some chocolate off the top of her hand.

"Oh, good! Then we bake it?" Jeanette said hopefully, glancing at the time on the stove. Simon would be arriving in about forty minutes.

"No, this is fudge," Eleanor laughed. "We have to let it sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours -"

"Two hours?" Jeanette gasped. "But Simon will be here in less than forty minutes!"

"Jean, do you want to make some good chocolates?" Eleanor asked.

Jeanette nodded.

"Then we'll just have to wait," she said, sliding the bowl over. "Two hours isn't going to matter much."

"You're right," Jeanette said, twisting a small strand of her hair around her index finger. "I just want to show him how sorry I am, before it's too late."

"It'll be fine," Brittany assured her, helping Eleanor with the bowl. "Come on and help us out, worry wart."

"Okay, here I come," Jeanette said, walking over to help. She didn't notice the spoon placed in front of the pan and stumbled over it, colliding with the other two girls. The bowl of chocolate tipped over in their hands and coated them in chocolate, causing a sticky mess on the table as well.

"JEANETTE!" Brittany screamed, wiping some chocolate out of her eyes. She glared over at her, folding her arms.

"S-sorry!" Jeanette whimpered. "I'm so sorry!"

Eleanor licked her lips, giggling and trying to make light of the situation. "Well, I was meaning to take a nice, long bath today anyway!"

"Look at my hair!" Brittany complained, stretching out a chocolate-covered strand. "It's going to take forever to get all this off!"

"Sorry, Britt," Jeanette said sadly, looking down. "I'm such a klutz."

Brittany sighed, her tone softening. "I... guess it's alright. No harm done."

Eleanor smiled and helped the two of them up, which was a little hard to do since they were standing in the middle of the chocolate puddle. "We'll clean up, then come back and fix this up! Come on, girls!"

Slipping and sliding all the while, the female triplets made their way into the living room. As they were in the middle of trying to find a way to make it to the stairs without creating footprints, the front door opened. In came Toby, closely followed by Simon. Toby must have offered to drive him to school, with the ulterior motive of seeing Ms. Ortega.

Jeanette stopped near the base of the stairs. Her first impulse was to greet him, but she then recalled that he was giving her the silent treatment. Also, she was still covered in chocolate and didn't want to make matters worse by getting him dirty. Simon and Toby put up their jackets and started to walk towards the staircase as well before noticing the three girls.

"Oh, hey girls!" Toby said cheerfully, waving. He winced as he saw what condition they were in. "Woah, what happened to you guys?"

"Um, accident," Eleanor replied, embarrassed. "We were just going to freshen up."

"Hi, Simon," Jeanette said weakly. To her relief, Simon returned her greeting.

"Evening, Jeanette," he said politely, nodding to her.

They fell into an awkward silence. Brittany and Eleanor, unnoticed by the two of them, looked at each other and nodded in silent agreement. They then stumbled into Jeanette, shoving her into Simon and toppled them down onto the floor. Toby's eyes widened in bewilderment.

"Oh!" Brittany gasped, hand over her mouth. "How clumsy of us! Right, Ellie?"

"Yeah!" Eleanor said, playing along. "We really should watch where we're going! Come on Britt, Toby. Let's go upstairs and clean ourselves off!"

"But I'm not dirty," Toby pointed out.

Brittany shook her fur near him, splashing chocolate all over the end of his pants. He yelped, taking a few steps back.

"Hey, these are my good jeans!" he protested.

Brittany smirked mischievously, feigning surprise. "Oh my, so sorry! Now _you_ have to get cleaned up! Let's go, quickly, before it sets in!"

Grumbling, Toby finally took the hint and followed Brittany and Eleanor upstairs. Jeanette and Simon watched them leave, her still on top of him. She felt the warmth from his body and blushed a bright red, scrambling off of him.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, holding out a hand to help him up. "I don't know what they were thinking."

"It's alright, I think I know what they were up to," Simon chuckled. He took her hand and playfully tugged her back down with him. "I have to say, I certainly wasn't expecting to come home to you covered in chocolate."

Despite her embarrassment, she laughed. "Well, it was my fault. I was trying to make some treats, and I ended up ruining it."

"Oh?" he said, his ears piquing in interest. "I didn't know you were into baking."

"Well, this was my first time giving it a try," Jeanette said, "As you can see, it didn't go very well."

"I see," Simon chuckled. His smile faded as he got back up, bringing her up with him. He brushed himself off and started to make his way towards the stairs. "Well, I better get a bath in before dinner. I hope your sweets turn out well."

Panicking, Jeanette's hand shot out and grabbed his arm. He glanced back at her, confused.

"Simon, wait! Please..." Jeanette pleaded. "Don't leave. Those sweets were for -"

The sound of music drifting from the stairway base drew their attention. To their surprise, Alvin, Brittany, Theodore and Eleanor were standing around a stereo, dancing slowly to the music. Amazingly, Brittany and Eleanor were clean, their fur their naturally downy and soft color. They were dressed in their beautiful, shiny dresses they wore when both the Chipettes and the Chipmunks had first performed together at the Battle of the Bands. Alvin and Theodore were also in their appropriate, matching clothes.

Jeanette and Simon, glanced at each other, dumbfounded.

Theodore began to whistle in beat with the music, stepping back as Alvin and Brittany stepped closer.

"_Wasn't really thinking, wasn't looking, wasn't searching for an answer,"_ Alvin began to sing, his tone soft and soothing. It was a surprising change from the normally fast and excited energy he usually put into his songs. _"In the moonlight"_ he cast a dreamy look to Brittany, who smiled at him. _"When I saw your face."_

"What -" Simon started, looking at the four of them as if they had all lost their minds.

"_Saw you looking at me, saw you peaking out from under the moon beams,"_ Brittany cut in, taking Alvin by the hand as they began to waltz around the baffled Jeanette and Simon. _"Through the palm trees, swaying in the breeze.."_

"Brittany -" Jeanette began to ask, but was cut off by both Alvin and Brittany.

"_I know I'm feeling so much more than ever before, and so I'm giving more to you than I thought I could do," _their eldest siblings sang in unison, gazing into each others eyes as they moved in sync. _"Don't know how it happened, don't know why, but you don't really need a reason. When the stars shine," _Alvin gracefully held Brittany in his arms and dipped, the both of them winking at Simon and Jeanette. _"Just to fall in love."_

"_Made to love each other, made to be together for a lifetime,"_ Eleanor chimed in, holding Theodore's hands as they joined the group. _"In the sunshine, flying in the sky."_

"_I know I'm feeling so much more than ever before,"_ Theodore took over, holding his partner gently in his arms. _"And so I'm giving more to you than I thought I could do. Now I know love is real."_

Jeanette and Simon looked at each other, an amused smile replacing their looks of confusion.

"_So when sky high, as the angels dry,"_ all four of them sang, making a loose circle around them. _"Letting you and I, fly love."_

Their siblings finished the ballad beautifully, letting the final notes of the song play. Jeanette took the hint and smiled to them gratefully before turning around to Simon.

"Simon, I'm really sorry," she said sincerely, taking his hands. Jeanette pleaded with her eyes for him to understand how sorry she truly was. "I shouldn't have treated you so unfairly. I was so frustrated that day that I lashed out at one of the most important people in my life. I hope you can find it in you to forgive me, and let me show you how much I love you and am willing to make it up to you."

Simon gave her a warm smile. One of the warmest she had ever seen. He brought her into a firm hug, not taking any notice of their sibling who were watching. He kissed her forehead, stroking her hair.

"How can I not forgive you?" Simon said lovingly. "Of course I forgive you. I love you too, and missed you as well."

"I missed you too, Simon," she said. Relief and happiness washed over her. She couldn't explain how happy she was that he had forgiven her and had taken her back. It felt like everything was right with the world again.

The two of them leaned in and kissed softly. Brittany, Eleanor and Theodore sighed a collective "Aww!" while Alvin made a pained face.

Brittany nudged him, grinning. "Oh, stop! You know you're happy to see them make up. It was you who suggested we serenade them."

"Shh, I don't want them to know that!" Alvin laughed, giving his girlfriend a squeeze.

For the rest of the evening, the three pairs of chipmunks decided to spend time with each other. They watched movies, played games, and finally snuggled down with their respective counterparts on the couch. All except Jeanette fell into a content and easy slumber.

Jeanette, snuggled warm in Simon's arms, made a mental note to thank their siblings tomorrow. But, for now, all she could focus on was the steady beat of his heart against hers. It was remarkably soothing. She kissed his cheek and closed her eyes again before falling asleep in his arms.

_I truly am lucky._

XOXOXOXOXO

_Author's Note: Dat chipmunk fluff! * swoon *_

_This was remarkably fun to write, and it didn't wear me out since it was pretty short! Even though this had a lot of focus on Simonette, I wanted to give some sweet moments to Alvin and Brittany, and Theodore and Eleanor, since I love them a lot as well. _

_Special thanks to **Awesomo3000 **for suggesting their siblings sing 'Fly Love' from Rio! I was planning for them to sing something for them anyway, and it fit the situation just right for them to sing that love song from Rio! Many thanks! _

_I will update/upload more stories soon! Thank you so much for the reviews, guys! Much love._


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